The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-23
THE LAURENS EXCITEMENT,
Altogether False Alarm--No Danger
Of an Outbreak.
Special to Neacs and Courier.


of an Outbreak.
Special to Ners and Courier.
LAURESs, June 20.-Col. J. H.
Traynham, Of the Governors staff,
and Capt. L. +. Irby, of the Laurens
Guards, have returned frsm Cedar
Grove, Young's township. Col.
Traynham refuses to BE- interviewed,
but be will proceed to Columbia and
report directly tc Governor Richard
son tomorrow. Capt. Irby, however,
is under no obligation to report off,
cially, and has very kindly furnished
me such information as be had.
There is 10 doubt that some of the
negroes are organized, and that they
often hold meetings between mid
night and daylight with the greatest
precautions at secrecy, sentinels
being stationed at convenient dis
tances from the rendezvous. The
various dire threats that have been so
widely circulated cannot be traced
authoritively to the organization.
There will be no outbreak unless the
negro leaders shall act rashly, as the
whites preserve great caution. neg
lected to say that the meetings are
held near the lines Of Laurens and
Greenville counties, on the Greenville
side.
The organizations are known as
"Co-operative Workers of America"
and are the offspring of the Hoover
influence, and many believe they are
for the purpose of extorting money
from the ignorant negroes. It costs
each member one dollar and ffty-fve
cents to take all the degrees, and
one dollar and fifty cents Of that
amount is forwarded to Hickory, N. C.
Several packages of money have been
sent from Simpsonville, Greenville
County, and Woodruff, Spartanburg
County, to Hickory. n. G.
have secured some of the litera-
ture Of the "Co-operative Workers of
America issued "by order of the
executive board, H. F. Hoover, presi-
dent W. R. Killian, vice.president;
John F. Ross, general secretary; c..
L. Hawn, treasurer; J. A. Bolch,
general auditor; Martin Nolder,
general committee agent" Under
cover Of small phamphlet, signed as
above indicated, I CLEAN what pur-
ports to be the principles and objects
of the organization:
1T is the proper object of government
to make laws that will secure the great
est good to the greatest number, on the
basis Of absolute justice, with an aim
towards universal liberty.
| 'For many years our government has
been run to the advantage of few, for
the benefit of a privileged class-the
moneyed aristocracy, while the masses,
the useful people, have hard burdens
hard to bear.''
The objects of the organization are
declared to be:
ITO elevate and dignity labor; to Sc
cure to the laborer just share OF the
| products Of his toll; to instruct him in a
knowledge OF his rights and his wrongs,
and his duty to his country and his
fellow-men; to use all rational means to
better his social, moral and financial
condition"
To accomplish these objects they
| demand:
''The establishment of bureaus of Ia
Dor statistics; the abrogation OF laws
that do not bear equally on capital and
labor; the adoption Of measures providing
for the health and safety of those en-
gagged in mining, &C.; the enactment of
laws to compel corporations to pay their
employees weekly IN la,efuI money; the
enactment of laws providing for arbitra-
ton between employer and employees;
the enactment of laws to prohibit the
hiring out of convict labor and to work
conVicts on the public roads; that the
importation of foreign convict labor be
prohibited; that the poll tax be repealed;
the esta ablishment of free cooperative
school system; the abolition of child Ia
Dor in mines, workshops and factories. -
They demand OF Congress ''That
the public lands, the heritage OF the peo-
pie, be reserved for actual settlers, &c. ;
the establishment OF a national monetary
system; that graduated income tax be
levied so that the greater the income the
higher the rate of taxation the enact
ment OF graduated forl leiture Act to be
levied on the estates OF the rich at their
death that the Government shall or
ganize financial exchanges, safe depos-
its, &c. that the Government construct
postal telegraph or telephone system,
&c.; that the United States Senators be
elected by the people ; that the Govern
ment establish and maintain free bal
lot in every State OF the Union a radi-
cal reduction in the fees, salaries and
perquisites of Government officials is
demanded; that the hours of labor be re-
duced."
Then they say:
''We are opposed to war, and consider
strikes AS dangerous to society, hurtful
to the participants and contrary to the
interests of good government"
They promise cooperation with the
Knights of Labor and all similar or.
ganizations.
ALL QUIET IN SPARTANBURG.
SPARTANBURG, June 21.-Further
investigation to-day strengthens me
in my opinion that the negroes of this
county do not contemplate strike,
or any violence. They are not fools
enough to wait until their crops are
nearly finished, with the finest pros.
poets they had for years, to begin a
revolution that would damage them
in every possible way.